


Speaking of certain matters in confidence with a lady friend

by Nary



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Gen, Married Life, Post-Canon, Relationship Advice, Sex Education, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 06:25:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19420312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: Dot and Hugh hadn't been married for very long, but already she felt like a member of a new, secret club that she had always wondered about from the outside.  It was exciting, but also more than a bit overwhelming - it seemed like there was a great deal to learn, and she didn't have many trustworthy sources for that particular form of education.  Miss Fisher might not be a married woman, but Dot was pretty sure she knew more than most married women put together, and probably more than most married men as well.





	Speaking of certain matters in confidence with a lady friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tablelamp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tablelamp/gifts).



"So, Mrs. Collins, how is married life treating you?" Phryne poured a cup of tea for Dot and one for herself, more playing at ladylike formality than actually participating in it. She had been back from her whirlwind trip for less than a day before she'd asked Dot over for tea, and it was almost as though she'd never been away. 

Dot smiled, accepting the cup. She and Hugh hadn't been married for very long, but already she felt like a member of a new, secret club that she had always wondered about from the outside. It was exciting, but also more than a bit overwhelming - it seemed like there was a great deal to learn, and she didn't have many trustworthy sources for that particular form of education. Miss Fisher might not be a married woman, but Dot was pretty sure she knew more than most married women put together, and probably more than most married men as well. 

"It's fine," she said, blushing slightly. "Hugh says he likes coming home to me - to a nice dinner and a tidy house."

"I do sincerely hope that he's more excited about seeing _you_ than he is about either his dinner or the state of the house," Phryne said with a grin, adding a couple of sugars to her tea. "Even though I'm certain you're an excellent housekeeper."

"Oh, yes," Dot agreed, taking a sip of her tea to obscure her matching smile. "But having my own house to keep isn't the same as helping Mr. Butler out around here."

"Why, you probably barely had time to miss me while I was gone," Phryne said. "After all, you had your honeymoon to keep you occupied." She swirled her teaspoon lightly in her cup, glancing across the table at Dot.

Dot nodded. The month had all but flown by, and it was true that she had been quite busy - and not just with getting their new home set up to her exacting standards. "Definitely, miss." She hesitated for a moment, but decided that it was probably alright for a married woman to speak of certain matters in confidence with a lady friend. "I did have a question, though."

"Oh?" Phryne leaned forward in eager anticipation. "You can ask me anything, Dottie dear."

"Well," Dot began, fiddling nervously with the edge of her napkin, "sometimes after we've done... well, you know... after we've finished, Hugh just rolls over and goes right to sleep."

Miss Fisher looked like she was trying very hard not to smile, and nodded sagely. "I'm sure it takes a lot out of him. Especially after he's had a long day."

"Oh, yes," Dot agreed. "He does work very hard, and I don't want him to miss out on sleep, of course. I just wondered, is that unusual?"

"Not at all," Miss Fisher replied kindly. "It probably means he's very relaxed and satisfied, and that makes it easy to nod off. But does it bother you, Dot? Is the problem that he's falling asleep before you're _entirely_ satisfied too?" 

Dot blushed even further, if such a thing was possible. "No, miss. He's read that book of yours cover to cover, and he's certainly taken its instructions to heart. He's very thoughtful when it comes to... all of that."

Miss Fisher seemed pleased to hear that. "Good! I could tell he was the kind of bright young man who'd learn quickly. But if that's the case, is there something else that's worrying you?"

"Not worrying me exactly, miss. But... I wondered if maybe it meant he was bored, or didn't enjoy it so much, if he didn't want to do it again. On our wedding night, we...well, we were both very excited, and we did it three times. But since then, it's only been once a day, and he usually falls asleep afterwards. So I wondered if maybe there was something I should do to make things better for him - like it was at first. Like it is for me," she added, eyes modestly downcast.

"Oh!" Phryne said with a look of understanding. "I think I get the picture now. Dot, it isn't unusual for men, even men who are very excited and in love, to only be able to, ah, perform once. They aren't like women, who can do it over and over again. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. Actually," she added with a gentle smile, "I'm sure it's quite the opposite. He's probably so pleased with everything that's just happened that he doesn't need anything more. Of course," she continued, "you could always ask him if that's the case. But I very much doubt Hugh is dissatisfied with what you've been doing. If I were to guess, was each of those three times on your wedding night over quite quickly?" 

"Yes," Dot admitted shyly. "Like I said, he was very excited, and the first time it was done almost before it started. The next time lasted a little bit longer, and then we took a while to talk and cuddle and then after that, the third time was the best of all." She smiled to herself, remembering it in considerable detail, before getting flustered and taking a sip of her tea to cover her embarrassment.

"Now that sounds like a lovely night," Miss Fisher said with a fond smile for the younger woman. "So, it sounds to me as though there are two issues - let me know if I'm mistaken. One is that you'd like things to go on a bit longer, and the other is that you'd like a bit more of the talking and cuddling side of things afterwards?"

Dot nodded. "Yes, that's it! I thought maybe it was just that I wasn't doing something right..."

"The responsibility for good sex shouldn't be all on one person," Phryne replied. "Unless of course you're doing it by yourself," she added with a smile. "It's something that you can both practice and get better at, and I'm sure with communication and some trial and error you'll find out more of what works for you and Hugh. But there are some things I can suggest that might help, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that, miss," Dot said, almost wishing she could take notes like she would have in an investigation.

"Alright." Miss Fisher leaned in closer, bringing Dot into her confidence. "First of all," she said, "you can try to do more of the snuggling and kissing side of things before matters get more... advanced. He won't be so worn out, and you'll have a chance to talk about things you might like to try, to tell one another what you're enjoying about the event so far, or just to get more excited about what's going to follow. And if during that time he happens to get rather _more_ excited, you can help him with that by using your hands and your mouth." She paused, glancing over at Dot to see if she needed to explain that further.

"I've seen the pictures in the book," Dot murmured, nodding.

"Very good," Miss Fisher said. "So if he finishes that way once, after he's had a little time to recover, he'll last longer when you're ready to go on. Of course," she added, "there's always a slight risk that he'll fall asleep afterwards, but if you make it clear you'd like to keep going, I feel confident your young man will find a way."

Dot smiled. "I think he would. He always lets me know how he wants to take good care of me."

"I'm sure he does," Miss Fisher said fondly. "Hugh is a sweet young man. Now, of course, the other thing you could try is doing it at a time when he's less tired. In the morning when you've just woken up, or if he pops home for lunch, or you could surprise him with nothing on when he walks in the door after work, before he's had a chance to admire your tidy home and tasty dinner..."

With a scandalized but also unmistakably delighted smile, Dot's eyes widened. "Miss Fisher! Then dinner would get cold!"

"Well, there's something to be said for meals that can be served cold," Miss Fisher replied with a grin. "I have a delicious gazpacho recipe, for instance, that I learned in Spain..."

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


End file.
